1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a removable dental prosthesis. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel precision attachment device for securing a removable dental prosthesis in the mouth.
Being more detailed, the present invention relates to a device for the attachment of dental prosthesis, comprising a male component which can be anchored into the jaw and a removably attachable female component for receiving the artificial teeth, whereby the male component includes a retention surface and the female component includes a spring element for retaining the male component near the retention surface.
2. Background of the Invention
During the course of various dental procedures, a dental prosthesis may be installed in the mouth which is secured onto adjacent fixed dentition. Mentioned prosthesis may be carried out as a full denture, overdenture, partial denture, or the like. Such dental prosthesis is arranged so that it can be secured to the fixed dentition, where it is removable under various conditions. For example, partial dentures and removable bridge work are securely inserted in a place in the mouth.
However, for cleaning and maintenance, they must be removable.
Numerous devices have been provided for this purpose, all of which provide both the fixed and removable features. The critical aspect of such devices is to retain the dental prosthesis secured in position during actual use so as to avoid all types of rotation, lateral movement, and displacement of the removable prosthesis from its proper position in the mouth. Any such movement or displacement can cause a disturbance and annoyance to the patient during use.
Numerous holding devices of the above type have been known in the art. For example, Rubeling Gunter in Europatent application EP 0064601 A2 discloses a method for producing dental replacement parts, in which a metal secondary part is detachably anchored via holding elements to a likewise metallic, fixed primary part. Elements serve as a holding bar or “Friktionsstifte” (Friction pin), for the corresponding images with an exact fit in the primary and secondary sections must be created. To date we have drilled these recordings in the primary part or milled. The receptacle for the holding element in the secondary part has been formed during casting. This procedure does not ensure accurate fit and is not applicable to non-precious alloys. According to the present invention will now create the recordings by spark erosion. To ensure perfect fit between the holding member and the absorbency even under tooth replacement parts from a non-precious metal alloy is achieved.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,837 Rubeling Gunter discloses a method and an equipment for forming prosthetic tooth structures for fastening to implants, where at least one pattern is produced from the portion of a patient's jawbone containing the implants and pattern sockets of metal is arranged in it at a place which corresponds with the position of the implant in the patient's jawbone, and a prosthetic tooth structure is produced from metal with the aid of the pattern. The particular feature of the invention consists in the provision of implant electrodes of metal, the heads of which correspond essentially with the heads of the implants, being fastened releasably in the pattern sockets in lieu of dummy implants, and the pattern socket and/or the implant electrodes as well as the prosthetic tooth structure are connected to a spark erosion equipment in such a way that the pattern sockets and/or the implant electrodes form the one electrode and the prosthetic tooth structure the other electrode, and the pattern and the prosthetic tooth structure are moved one against the other, and in so doing the prosthetic tooth structure is eroded so that it is adapted to the heads of the implants.
Andrews Douglas in U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,698 discloses a dental implant which comprises a frame which is attachable to the mandibular or maxillary bone, the frame bearing bar retention means; a detachable bar having complementary bar retention means for removably attaching of the detachable bar to the frame; and denture bearing denture bar retention for attaching the denture to the detachable bar.
Bluemli Marcus et al. in their U.S. patent application 2012003608 disclose the device for fastening a dental prosthesis includes a bar patrix and a connecting part, which can be attached to the dental prosthesis and has a recess into which the bar patrix can be inserted and which is surrounded by two side walls connected via a ceiling element. The side walls and the ceiling element are shaped such that the dental prosthesis, when it is placed on the bar patrix via the connecting part attached thereon, rests on the bar patrix via a first, a second and a third support location, wherein in each case a free space is present between the first and third support locations and the second and third support locations.
Seo Young et al. in U.S. patent application 2011171599 etc. disclose the shape memory dental retention systems which facilitate the adjustment or removal of an oral appliance, e.g., a crown or bridge, from a reconfigurable abutment assembly. The adjustable abutment assembly may be secured to an anchoring implant bored into the bones within the mouth. The abutment assembly has a projecting abutment portion with one or more shape memory material sleeves or plates or elements extending along the abutment. Each of the sleeves has a length with at least one curved or arcuate portion. Energy may be applied to the elements such that the arcuate portion flattens to allow for the oral appliance to be placed thereupon while removal of the energy allows the elements to reconfigure into its curved configuration thereby locking the oral appliance to the abutment. Removal of the oral appliance may be effected by reapplication of energy to the elements.
Obersat Adam in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,560 discloses a friction element particularly for anchoring one removable telescopable part of a dental prosthesis on another. The one part has an opening through it in which the friction element is disposed. The friction element has a shank in the opening and has a friction head with a friction surface above the part and at one end of the opening. The friction element is of resilient plastic material. The friction head has a tapering, conical or convex bottom side and the opening in the one part is correspondingly shaped. The shank of the friction element has radial tabs which resiliently engage the inside of the opening. The shank may be of a length and the opening may be so shaped that one friction tab is behind the opening and engages the other side of the one part for preventing removal of the friction element. A detent recess in the other part receives the friction head on the telescoping of the parts together.
In his another inventions—U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,586,902 and 4,773,859 Obersat Adam disclose the detachable component of a dental prosthesis which is releasably secured to the permanently installed component by one or more pairs of male and female detent members. Each male detent member has a miniature flat brick-shaped compartment for a flat serpentine (particularly U-shaped or S-shaped) or a flat block-shaped spring whose front portion can bias or constitute a plunger which extends from the compartment and snaps into the respective female detent member. The male detent member or members are mounted on the detachable component and the female detent member or members are provided in or on the permanently installed component, preferably very close to the gum of the respective jaw. The casing which defines the compartment of the male detent member can be a prefabricated part or it may be formed, at least in part, during casting of the metallic part or parts of the detachable component. The overall dimensions of the male detent member need not exceed 5×3.5×1 mm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,489 Fischer Arthur et al. disclose a dental prosthesis comprises an element fixed in a mouth, a removable dental prosthesis component placed on the element, and a removable connection of the dental prosthesis component with the element and including vertical groove formed in an adjacent surface in each of the element and the component, the grooves being located immediately opposite to one another and open into one another, the connection further including a resilient friction element engaging in the grooves.
In presently known attachments (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,859) of the above out-lined character, the male detent member comprises a flexible or bendable spring which is receivable in the recess of the female detent member (also known simply as female). The flattest conventional male detent member uses a spring which is made of wire having a diameter of 0.7 mm or thereabout, and such wire is inserted into a compartment with certain freedom of movement for penetration into or expulation from the recess of the female detent member. The overall thickness of the male detent member including the receptacle for the spring is in the range of 2 mm.